Torn Apart
by shellbell33
Summary: Hey everyone I'm back! Thanks for the kind words and emails.  Just getting back into writing. Here's chapter Four written by LNW.  Will Leo and Raph make it to the farmhouse.  Mikey and Donnie laughing at their expense. Whats up with those two...
1. Chapter 1

**Torn Apart**

**Chapter I**

**Written by the Torture Sisters (aka Takato Metallium, LilNinjaWolf, Shellbell 30 (me)**

**Plot:** AU, dark, angst, Mikey and Donnie centric. Eight years ago, Michelangelo and Donatello left the lair due to unforeseen circumstances. Now, on the anniversary of their disappearance, Leonardo and Raphael have found them again…but it's not a happy reunion.

**Disclaimer:** We disclaim all rights to the TMNT; they belong to Peter Laird and a bunch of other companies we do not partake in. We only own the fic, the idea and not much else.

**Author's Note:** Dedicated to Takato Metallium as she is no longer in the TMNT fandom. She is a wonderful writer and I wish her well. She helped me through thick times and with the first two chapters of the story. Thanks to LilNinjaWolf for helping me co-write the rest of the fic with me. Oh this fic is going to get dark so if it upsets you please don't read. You have been warned. So don't come complaining to us because well say that there was a warning at the first chapter kay now Enjoy the story. I'll be posting this under Shellbell30. I thought long ago Takato posted this under the name Torture Sisters but alas I did not find it here.

**_Prologue: (Eight Years Ago)_**

"That's it, Raph! I've had it with you!"

Raphael stepped back, an unbidden look of shock on his face as the sai in his hand dropped to the floor. The eight-year-old mutant turtle watched, horrified, as Donatello helped their younger brother stand in spite of the wound slashed across his thigh and the blood dripping down his leg to the floor. Even though Michelangelo had pain written all over his face, the hatred in his eyes was unbearable.

"Mikey…Mikey, I…"

"Shut up," Don growled lowly, shifting himself so that Mike's arm was slung across his shoulders. "You've no right to talk, Raphael."

Leonardo stepped forward, hands raised as he tried to calm his brothers down. "Guys, come on. I'm sure Raph didn't…"

"Shut the Shell up!" Gritting his teeth Mikey spat out as he was starting to get weak at the knees. "It's always 'Raph this, Raph that' with you! Can't you stand up for us just once, Leo?" He sent a sidelong glance to his brother in purple. "I think it's about time we did what we were talking about doing, don't you think, Don?" He raised the hand that had been clutching his leg and tore off the orange bandanna around his eyes, throwing it to the floor in a splatter of blood.

"Wait, what are you…?" Leo looked up from where he was hunched over Raphael, horror dancing across his face as Don did the same, the purple cloth floating steadily to the floor to join the other.

Donatello straightened the both of them up, strengthening his grip on Michelangelo's wrist as he glared venomous hatred at their older brothers. "I agree. It's high time we left, Mikey. We're obviously not welcome here." The slightly taller turtle began moving the both of them over towards the entrance of the lair.

"Donatello! Michelangelo! You can't! Splinter…!"

"Shut it, Splinter Junior!" Don looked over his shoulder, wrapping his free arm around Mikey's waist. "Raphael went too far this time. I'm not staying around to watch my little brother continue to be hurt by him." A dark, malevolent smirk curled its way around the eight-year-Old's mouth, the expression making Leo shift a step back as he continued walking out of the lair. "Karma comes back to bite you, Leo. I hope you remember that."

And Leonardo did…

_**End of Prologue**_

**Chapter One: Past Meets Present or Eight Years Later:**

Leonardo jumped slightly as he was brought out of the trance meditation put you through, hands limp as two different color bandannas fell from his fingers. The orange one – part of it covered in dried blood – seemed to touch the purple-color cloth with one end, as though the material was telling him his brothers were still alive and together.

Raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck, he stood with a creak of his knees and walked out of the meditation chamber into the main den of the lair, his eyes instantly falling on his brother Raphael. The red-banded turtle was sitting against the pillar holding up the workout dummy, head in his hands and knees pulled up to his chest. Finding no sign of Splinter, who was most likely resting for the night in his room, he walked over and stopped a foot or two in front of Raph.

"It's been eight years, Leo," his younger brother whispered as Leonardo took up the lotus position across from him, concern written on his facial features. "May 10th. It's been eight years since Mikey and Donnie disappeared."

The older turtle looked away, bowing his head as he closed his eyes. "I know, Raphael…I know." He hated seeing the other mutant like this, a battered shell of his former self. "I take it you're going topside with Casey again, tonight?"

Raphael rubbed a hand across his face with a heart-felt sigh and stood, stretching. "I gotta, Leo. It's the anniversary…I thought I might…that maybe…"

Leonardo stood as well, placing a hand on Raph's shoulder – the only way of comfort he knew he could give his brother. "I know, Raph." He offered a small smile, his arm dropping from its raised position. "I'll be here when you come back; same as always. Don't worry. So will Master Splinter."

Giving a nod and a grateful but bitter smile, Raph picked his Sais up from where he'd placed them on the floor and walked towards the entrance of the lair, throwing a quick wave over his shoulder but not looking back. Leonardo nodded, as if reassuring himself that he would be here when Raphael returned, unsheathed his swords and began doing a slow kata to keep his mind off the one thing that plagued it constantly.

His brothers….

"I'm very flattered that you asked me to assist you in the Mouser test run, Doctor Stockman." April tried not to cringe as her lab coat and jeans were splattered with sewerage as she followed the scientist down through the underground of New York City, pushing the mineshaft cart ahead of her. "I just don't understand why we have to do it in the sewers. Couldn't there have been an old train yard or something that we could have gone to?"

"The council of New York only allowed us to do the testing in the city's sewers, Miss O'Neil," he said calmly, making a few adjustments to a remote control in his hands as they walked. "The system is like the maze back in the lab; it will be perfect for the test run."

Baxter closed the remote back up, flicking a switch to the side on with his thumb as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the younger lady. 'Stupid woman…doesn't even know half of what's really going on…' The darker-skinned man pulled a piece of paper from the recesses of his lab coat, unfolding it and running his forefinger over the directions. 'And if all goes well…he'll be pleased…'

April was too busy trying to avoid the rubbish and filthy water running in her path to notice him turning his head slightly to look at her out the corner of his eye, a dark smile gracing his lips.

'He'll be very pleased, indeed…'

Raising a hand, Stockman caressed a scar on his cheek – a faded reminder of his last failure – and shivered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Leonardo knocked on the door to his father's room, a tray in hand with his usual afternoon tea resting balanced on top of it. Master Splinter always locked himself away at this time of year – Leo had always tried to tell his father that it was not his fault…that he himself and Raphael had long ago accepted responsibility for the departure of their younger brothers.

Pain rested heavily on Leonardo's heart as he awaited an answer patiently, mulling over the endless possibilities and alternate realities that could have happened that day eight years ago. It had been his responsibility to protect his brothers from enemies and from themselves; he had had every right to step in and stop Raphael from hurting Michelangelo that day…

And yet he had done nothing, nothing to earn himself the title of leader, older brother or Splinter's heir.

He sighed as he finally heard the croaked reply, straightening himself as he slid the door open with the toe of his right foot. The aged rat he called father, master and mentor sat in the middle of the room surrounded by candles on a cushioned mat that had been scavenged from the junkyard a few blocks away. The weary look on his face informed Leonardo that his father had – as he always did this time of year – been mourning the loss of his youngest sons.

"Master Splinter," the blue-banded ninja murmured softly, bowing his head in respect and for the simple fact that he did not want to meet his master's gaze. "I have brought your afternoon tea."

"Place it in down," his master whispered, equally soft and filled with immense amounts of bottled up pain. "And sit before me." Splinter waited until Leonardo did as he was told before speaking again, closing his eyes as he heaved a heavy sigh. "I sensed your presence on the astral plane earlier, my son. Tell me…you were trying to find your brothers again, weren't you?"

Leonardo looked up, startled at the fact that he had been found out before lowering his gaze again. "I try again, as I have tried constantly for the last eight years, Sensei," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I know Michelangelo and Donatello are out there above somewhere. I feel it…" He placed a hand over the center of his plastron-covered chest – where his heart lay. "…Right here. Sometimes it is faint…others, it is burning with rage…the rage I so rightfully deserve."

Splinter took a quiet sip of his tea, mulling over his son's words – he had always known Leonardo was the connecting thread between the four of the young mutant turtles, the very reason he had chosen the boy to be his rightful heir. It came as no wonder to him that Leonardo was still able to sense Michelangelo and Donatello, no matter how far away they might be.

"I did nothing to stop Raphael that day," Leonardo continued, lowering his hand so it rested on his knees once again. "I should have. I was their older brother, their sense in all the childish madness back then. I make no excuses for myself, as I have said time and time again. It was no one's fault but my own and Raphael's. You needn't punish yourself so harshly, Master."

'Must we continue this dance year after year, Sensei? This dance of regret and heartache?'

"Yet it was my fault for teaching you how to use weapons in the first place." Splinter finally raised his head, reaching over to tilt his eldest son's up by the chin. Brilliant dark chocolate eyes looked at him from behind that mask – eyes that had once looked at him as though he held all the answers to the universe…

…Now those eyes only held the deepest sorrow…the deepest remorse.

"It came as no surprise to me that you and Raphael chose blade weapons. You two were always the most impulsive out of the boys I had raised. But to learn that Raphael had used his weapon against his own brother and that you had done nothing to stop him…" Splinter gave a shuddering breath and tried to suppress the tears as Leonardo looked away from him in shame. "…I should have stopped your training then and there. I should have taken away everything I had taught you about ninjutsu and left you ordinary boys."

"Then why didn't you, Sensei?" The eldest son sounded positively miserable, as though he was trying to keep his own tears at bay. Why must they continue through this conversation, year after year? In Leonardo's apprentice mind, he was being reminded of his failures to better strengthen his weaknesses, and not make the same mistake with Raphael and his brother's friend Casey Jones.

"Because I knew that you would one day meet your brothers again." The rat kept his face sullen as Leonardo's head turned abruptly to look back at him, shock reigning over his features. He had never given this answer, had always kept silent and waited until his son left without questioning again. Leonardo had made the motion to stand a mere minute ago, and now he had his attention once more. "I have seen Michelangelo and Donatello in my dreams at times in the past. No, not dreams; visions. They are well enough, but they are being lead down a path of hatred and rage. Their acrimony has been growing steadily, until nothing but the purest of evil has enveloped their souls."

"Why haven't you tried to contact them, Sensei?" Leonardo tried to keep his frantic voice to a minimum as all the while he seethed at his master. To keep such a thing from him and Raphael, especially when he knew of Raphael's fading sanity. "We could have helped them…!"

"I did once…" Splinter sighed and took another slow sip of his tea, head bowed again. Leonardo's aura had changed from one of sadness to one of hurt – hurt that his most trusted family member and advisor had kept such a secret from him. "Four or five years ago now, Donatello…he was not the gentle soul you once knew. His love and concern for Michelangelo's wellbeing was the only thing keeping his sanity intact, and he denounced me on the spot as his father. I could feel…he was trying so hard to keep his anger under control."

Leonardo was almost afraid to ask. "And…and Mikey?"

"He gave me a look of the utmost loathing from behind his brother's back as Donatello spoke to me. He didn't say anything but I knew…I knew that his childish personality had changed as well." Splinter raised a hand to rub his eyes with two fingers, sighing again. "From him I could feel his mind plotting vengeance the moment my back was turned."

He raised his head to look at his eldest son, worry dancing across his face at the possibility that Leonardo might do something rash now that he knew the truth. "That was when the young woman they were with told them they shouldn't be talking with…with vermin like me and that it was time for them to leave. I believe they referred to her as their sister. Karai."

The turtle sat back on his haunches, biting his lip as he leaned forward on his knees with his arms and closed his eyes. His hands clenched into angry fists, fighting back the want to punch his master for all that he had hidden from Raphael and himself. "We will get them back, Sensei," he whispered, shaking his head as he stood and looked down at the old rat. "They can't be too far gone that they won't feel anything when they see us again. I…I can't accept that they…that they…"

Leonardo never got to finish his sentence, for the wall of the meditation room collapsed on itself and he and his master found themselves surrounded by screeching small white robots. Even as he unsheathed his katana and defended his elderly father from them, one thing was running through his mind.

These had been sent by Donatello, as an open invitation to visit…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Raphael grunted as he was thrown against the alley wall, hitting his shell hard enough to make falling onto his plastron hurt. As he tried to get up only to have a heavy foot press down onto the back of his neck with the force of a full mutant body behind it, he heard the voice that haunted his dreams as Casey groaned in pain somewhere to his right.

This wasn't a dream, though, and the voice that invaded his nightmares was laced with pure adoration for his older brother. But no; this voice wasn't laced with anything but utter hatred for every fiber of his being.

"I was hoping I'd have the chance to run into you, Raphael." Looking out the top corner of his eye, he gazed longingly at his little brother. No – it wasn't the turtle he had protected at nights when the other had a bad dream; it wasn't the one who used to believe everything he said as though it was the gospel truth.

Michelangelo bared his teeth in a savage grin as he brought his weapon out in full, Purple Dragon and Foot Clan tattoos proudly displayed on both of his lower arms beyond the black leather jacket he wore as his crew gathered to watch in glee. "I believe it's high time you pay for what you did to me eight years ago, dear brother," the younger turtle purred softly, eyes lit with a desperate need of revenge. The three-linked nunchaku in his hand was a mockery of the ones he had often hit himself with in practice back then. "Very high time."

"Mikey…Mikey please, listen to me…" Raphael coughed up blood as his neck was roughly shoved down by the foot at its back, surprisingly not snapping and killing him.

"I'm a decent turtle, Raphael," Michelangelo whispered, eyes showing hurt as the bitterness of their past came to surface while he linked his weapon around the red-banded ninja's neck and hoisted him up, pressing against him from behind just enough to remind him of his presence. "Unlike most I know. I'll give you a chance…just one chance…to prove you're sorry."

"Anything?" Raphael gasped out as the hard steel of the weapon was pushed against his throat, almost gagging him as it made his Adam's apple bob up and down without his consent. He couldn't believe he was resorting to groveling…to Mikey of all people. But he genuinely wanted to reconcile with his little brother, so much that he would go to almost any length to ensure it happened…

He felt lips brushing where his ear was supposed to be, were he human, and the voice that whispered to him was nothing like the hostile tone from before. "I'll say this quickly and I'll say this only once, so God help me you better listen, Raphael," Michelangelo hissed, tightening his grip on the steel in his hands to make it look like he was threatening his 'older brother'. "Donatello sent Stockman and another of his assistants down to the sewers with a new line of robotics; something he refers to as Mousers. They seek out and destroy rodents. I'll give you one guess who's he's going after, and Santa Clause hasn't set up shop under New York City to my knowledge."

Dark eyes widened in recognition beneath the mask he wore and he let out a choked whimper. "Master Splinter and Leo?"

"I don't want that just yet," he murmured, shifting his muscles so they would not cramp up or anything. "Don…Don hasn't had a good grip on reality these last five years. Father encourages it and I…I don't know what to do." There was a hint of desperation in Michelangelo's voice again, but this time it was out of concern for the only one he truly called his brother. "Go and help them, then run as far as you can. I know your friend has a family farm up north, stay there a while. Don will never forgive you for what you did eight years ago, and neither will I…but I just want you to do this for me. To save Don's sanity, so I can have the brother I love back and not the mad scientist walking around in his shell."

Raphael was suddenly released from the grip of the weapon around his throat, falling to his knees as a hand flew up to his neck. His eyes were wide as he felt blood drip down his chin from where it had come up into his mouth.

"Mikey…" Looking over his shoulder, he saw his formally orange-banded brother look down at him with the look of someone having just stepped in something disgusting, an ugly sneer curling around his usually playful features.

"I want you to run, Raphael," he purred, the sound barely audible over the cheers and jeers of his crew. "Run. Run away and never come back."

Police sirens sounded in the distance as the two brothers stared at each other – Raphael in shock and remorse while Michelangelo's eyes held nothing but hatred and desperation. Almost too late, Raphael leapt over to Casey's prone form and wrapped an arm around the human before giving the younger turtle one last look and jumping up to the rooftops as the police cars rolled around the corner.

As his crew retreated to the shadows, one of the recruits – Angel, his most trusted friend – looked at him out the corner of her eye. "Was that wise?" she whispered, purple pigtails falling around her face. "To let him know you care so deeply for Donatello?"

Michelangelo's grin became vicious again, bearing teeth as he looked back at her. "It's all a part of my plan, Angel. All a part of my plan." With one wave of his hand, the remaining Purple Dragons retreated although the human girl remained close to him.


	2. Chapter 2: A Turtle Scorned

**Torn Apart**

**Chapter II: A Turtle Scorned**

**Written by the Torture Sisters (aka Takato, LilNinjaWolf, Shellbell)**

**Disclaimer:** We disclaim all rights to the TMNT. They belong to Peter Laird, MIRAGE and other companies and people we have nothing to do with. We only own the fic, the idea and not much else.

**Chapter 2: A Turtle Scorned**

Raphael took deep breaths to get the much-needed air his body needed, for never before had he been nearly strangled to death. He was shivering, feeling sick to his stomach as he rose to his feet after the person that had had him in a chokehold disappeared.

He stumbled over to where Casey lay and checked for a pulse, relieved to find his human friend was unconscious but breathing. The Purple Dragons really did a number on them, he thought as he closed his eyes and hoped that this was all a bad dream, that everything that had happened tonight was a bad dream. That his baby brother was not in the Dragons, was not in the Foot; that his beloved, missing baby brother was not that cruel, cold hearted, strong leader of the Purple Dragons that he had just encountered.

Raphael had tried to be the bad ass he always had been, but seeing Michelangelo for the first time in eight years brought tears to his eyes and memories that he didn't want to relive. He uncharacteristically felt like running up to hug his little brother, saying he was sorry for what he had done and acted out of anger. Indeed, he had tried to approach the wayward turtle but had stopped dead by the cold glare his brother gave him.

He had felt his blood run cold when he saw the Dragon tattoo that ran down his brother's arm, along with the Foot tattoo displayed proudly on the other. Forget the Purple Dragons; since when did Mikey work with the Foot?

So many questions Raphael had wanted to ask his brother, like where was Donatello and if he was okay and how he got involved with the Foot and the Purple Dragon punks. Before he had a chance to ask, however, all Hell broke loose and he ended up on his shell thanks to his younger sibling.

Raphael cleared his head; he didn't have time to reflect on what had happened to his brothers – he needed to get home. His family was in trouble. Almost sluggishly, he picked up Casey and tossed him over his shoulder; there was no way he could leave his best friend laying out cold on the ground, nor could he drop him home. He figured Michelangelo knew where Casey lived, and might even possibly hurt his friend as part of his little revenge scheme.

He couldn't allow that to happen.

The red-masked ninja found a ladder and climbed down from the rooftop. It didn't take long for him to find a manhole, open it and jump down, landing gently on his feet with only a slight moan of acknowledgement from the unconscious human slung over his shoulders. Holding on tightly, he began to run to the lair, hoping against hope that Leo and Splinter were alright…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What are these things?" Splinter demanded as another robotic creature with jaws chewed its way through the floor surrounding them.

"I'm assuming they came from Donnie," his eldest son replied as an approaching Mouser was sliced in two via his katana.

Splinter nodded solemnly, his whiskers drooping slightly. "Yes. They were built by him." It hurt him to the core to know that his youngest sons held so much hatred for their family.

Unfortunately, they did not have much time to converse with each other; more and more Mousers made their way through the slowly crumbling walls of their home, for as both student and master destroyed a single unit, more appeared to take its individual place.

"Stay together, Leonardo! We must fight together," Splinter ordered, ramming the butt of his walking stick into yet another Mouser's head. "We can hold longer as a team instead of fighting each machine separately!"

"Yes, Sensei." Two more robots joined the never-ending pile of their brethren. He shook the stomach of one off his katana, pausing momentarily to watch the sparks from its disconnected wires. "It's not easy to kill these things. Don's persistent, I give him that."

Splinter sighed as his ears drooped, dropping into another fighting stance. "Yes. His desire for vengeance has motivated him to find interesting ways to destroy his true family." Splinter's whiskers twitched; something didn't feel right, something was wrong and he knew it. Something was behind them, his ears turning slightly to see if he could detect what was going on.

It was then that he realized what was going to happen – he had to protect his eldest son at all costs. He had already lost two sons; he didn't want to lose a third to their lust for reprisal.

"LEONARDO, LOOK OUT!" the wise rat cried as he pushed his son out of the way of the collapsing wall.

Leo watched in horror as the wall collapsed and fell onto his father. No…this wasn't happening; his beloved father, master and mentor was buried underneath the rubble. He had to get to him before he was crushed. "FATHER!"

Rushing to the pile of rocks, he knew that the Mousers would be on his tail but right now it didn't matter; he had to get Master Splinter out of there. He couldn't bear to lose him like he did his younger brothers. So caught up in trying to free his father, Leonardo didn't see the murderous chopping machines approaching him quickly from behind, only managing to destroy the ones between himself and the pile of rubble. The blue-masked turtle fell to his knees, beginning to try and free his master – he didn't care what happened to himself, but either way he'd try and get the both of them out alive.

"Come on," he hissed, as he pulled rock after rock off the pile. Leonardo yelped and dropped a rock as several Mousers attacked him, crying out in pain as one Mouser dug its jaws into the soft flesh of his arm. He tried to yank the robot from his arm, wincing as he felt the tendon tear and blood drip down his arm in a steadily flowing stream, tears in his eyes as the pain became worse. He had to get the robot off his arm.

"Damnit, Donnie!" Leonardo cursed as he tried to protect himself from being torn to pieces. He needed to get to Master Splinter before the old rat suffocated from the lack of air, and he let loose a scream of pain as another Mouser jumped him from behind and snapped its jaws onto his shell. His life flashing before his eyes, Leonardo finally resigned himself to fate. If this was the way he was going to go, he wished he could tell his brothers that he loved them and that he was sorry he didn't protect them better…

And if this was the way he was going to go, there was no reason why he couldn't take any of Donatello's creations with him.

Leo grabbed his katana from their places at his side, starting to swing violently at the Mousers. He had to keep them off him but at the same time he was worried he wouldn't make it in time to save his master.

He needed help and fast. 'Damnit, when the Hell is Raph going to get home?' A Mouser jumped at him, but before he could react to its attack he saw a Sai hit the Mouser, sending it flying into the wall with a few sparks of ripped chords. "What the Hell?"

"You're not exactly doing a good job here, Leo, now are you?" came the dark, sarcastic reply.

Leonardo wanted to laugh, he really did, but as he did he looked up and Raphael came into focus, he frowned slightly at the various bruising and marks that covered his brother's dark green skin. "About freakin' time. What the Hell happened to you?"

"Sorry, bro. Case and I ran into trouble." Raphael managed to knock away the ones that were chewing his older sibling up. "What the shell happened here? Looks like the lair went to Hell in a hand basket."

"Don sent us a little gift," he replied flatly, wincing as he touched the torn forearm. Blood dripped onto his fingers; the flow was slowly coming to a halt. "No time to explain, Raph. Master Splinter is trapped under here. I have to get him out," Leonardo answered quickly as he began to dig again. "Can you hold them off?"

"Need you ask?" A dark grin curled on Raphael's mouth as he tore the thrown Sai from where it pinned the Mouser to the wall, beginning to attack and defend his family. Seeing Leo being chewed up by something other than him pissed him off royally. Michelangelo and Donatello had gone too far with this; he'd stop them even if it meant killing one or both.

Leonardo was grateful for the other mutant's help. He was becoming exhausted, not to mention he was injured. They had to get out of there, and fast. He kept digging until he found Splinter, lying there broken and unconscious. "Father…" Leo swallowed, choking back a sob as he gently picked up his fallen master before turning to his brother. "Raph! We have to get out of here!"

"Man, and just when I was beginning to kick ass too." Raphael fake-pouted, watching his Sai slice through another Mouser. "Want me to carry him?"

"No. I need you to defend us until we get out of here," the blue-masked ninja stated, sheathing his katana and gathering his master's body into his arms.

Nothing was said between the brothers as they somehow or other managed to get out of the hellhole that they once called home. They walked in silence through the sewers, the both of them thinking about what had transpired over the last couple of hours, thinking about the first time in eight years their younger siblings had finally made an appearance, wondering what the hell had happened to them to make them so cold hearted.

Being good ninjas, they made sure to keep their senses on track, trying to make sure none of the Mousers could follow them; the last thing they needed was to get into another heated battle with those killing machines…

Leonardo was careful not to move his father, aware of Splinter's injuries even though he didn't get to see how badly his sensei had been hurt. Raphael hadn't the time to check on Casey either. This was the second time in his life he felt lost and out of control, doubts about his leadership abilities once again filling his torn soul. He didn't know what to do – where were they going to go? How would they get out of this mess? Most of all, they needed a plan. So he decided to ask his brother, his mind too occupied with other things to form a plan at that moment.

"Raph, any ideas on where we can stay for the time being? We can't stay at Casey's, that's for sure."

"We'll go to the farm. I'll explain after we get Casey's truck."

"I don't know, Raph. What if his place is being watched?" Leo was concerned, concerned that they would be attacked again and they wouldn't have much time to get away or defend themselves.

"It won't be watched, Leo, trust me for once."

"I do trust you, Raphael, it's that attitude of yours that gets us into trouble and annoys me to no end."

"Yeah, well, you know the sayin…oh, we're here." Raphael looked up and saw the manhole cover, having gone down this route to get to Casey's many a time before. He gently put Casey down, the human letting out a low, unconscious moan as his body hit the stone bricks of the sewers. "Wait here. I'll go make sure everything's clear. I'll bring the truck around if you can get Master Splinter and Casey up to the surface."

"I don't know, Raph, it could be dangerous."

"Leo," the red-banded turtle nearly whined in what seemed to be a growl, looking over his shoulder at the older sibling.

"Okay, okay. Will do and be careful, Raph." Leo looked away to where Splinter's head had fallen off its place on his carapace, shifting a little. "I don't want to lose you too.

Raphael was going to make a sarcastic remark but stopped in time; this was one of the few moments he had seen Leonardo quiet and emotional, one of the times he saw the real Leo and not who he was trying to be. He swallowed down the retort and gave the slightly older turtle a real, genuine smile for once in his life. "Don't worry bro; I'll be around to keep you on your toes."

He climbed the ladder and managed to pry the manhole cover off, looking around underneath the uplifted heap of concrete. His senses were telling him to be weary, and he didn't like the whole situation one bit; it was way too quiet. He hated when things were too quiet, it made him edgy, and silently he wondered if Michelangelo was telling him the truth.

"You'd better be right, little bro, or I'll kick your ass the next time I see you," Raph hissed softly to himself as he climbed out of the sewers, making sure he stuck to the shadows. He didn't need to give himself and his brother away – they needed to get the hell out of there and recuperate before doing anything else. He kept everything in sight as he quickly made his way towards Casey's truck. Opening the door and clambering in, he thanked whoever was up there for his pocket picking skills. "Good old Case."

The sooner they were loaded up and on their way, the better. Parking the truck in the alleyway near the manhole, he helped Leo pull Splinter out of the sewer and into the truck before placing Casey next to their master. "He's gonna have one hell of a headache when he wakes."

"Come on, Raph, no more stalling," Leonardo ordered, shutting the back of the truck and making his way around to the front to climb into the passenger side. "We're wasting time."

"Right." Seconds later, the headlights shone from the truck as they slowly made their way out of the alleyway, both turtles sighing with relief as they got away from the city smoothly. They weren't even aware that they were being watched.

"Come in, Orange Band. This is Wild Child."

"Orange Band here. Report, Wild Child."

"They took the bait. They're on their way."

"Excellent. All according to plan." There was a pause, before the other spoke again. "Come back to base, Wild Child. Operation 'Fun' House has begun."

"On my way." Wild Child chuckled as she disappeared into the shadows as the clouds hovering over New York City opened up and the heavens spilled their tears…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Michelangelo growled under his breath as he slammed a guard into the wall, the other Foot soldiers in the corridor scrambling out of his way; they did not want to be in the turtle's way when he was pissed off. Many of them knew from experience that Michelangelo in particular had an extremely short temper and had been known to take it out on his subordinates.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you pieces of shit," he hissed, ramming the guard into the wall one more time for emphasis before letting him go and dropping him unceremoniously to the ground before turning his attention to the others. "I need to speak with my brother. Now." Fixing one side of the collar of his jacket, Mike turned to face the soldiers, smirking slightly when they faltered under his gaze and scrambled to attention. "Where is he?"

"He is conducting a rather important experiment." The new voice made the people in the hallway look over to the entrance to the labs, watching a late-twenties to early-thirties African-American man push his glasses up his nose from where they had slipped down. He frowned, glancing at the crumpled Foot soldier on the floor before turning his glare towards Michelangelo. "Now if you don't mind, muscle head, I need to speak with your…sibling first. Important matters, you must understand. That is…if your tiny mind can't comprehend it."

"What's the matter, Stockman?" Michelangelo purred, approaching the human with a slight sway of his hips, leaning against the corridor wall with one hand. His smirk became wicked, bearing his sharp teeth. "Can't get permission to do anything anymore without my brother's approval? My, how the intelligent have sunken. I can't believe you're groveling. And to my brother, of all people…"

"Freak," Stockman spat, raising his hand that had curled into a fist. However, he knew better than to think about attacking one of Oroku Saki's adopted sons and somehow managed to keep his hatred at bay. "No one with a mind such as yours could understand the brilliance behind the science created in this laboratory…"

"That's enough, Baxter." The two verbally battling combatants turned their heads as the door to the laboratory closed with a soft 'swoosh' sound, and another turtle entered the battlefield. Unlike Michelangelo, this one wore a lab coat with ripped sleeves and tattered edges, along with a black utility belt around his waist imprinted with the Foot symbol, and he placed a pair of strange goggles from around his eyes onto the top of his head. "Stand down when you're talking to my little brother."

The new turtle approached them as he pulled off white three-fingered rubber gloves and handed them to his assistant, who merely stared in shock before raising his voice as Michelangelo smirked. "We're on a secret project! Master would not be pleased if it was put on hiatus!"

The dark hazel eyes that looked at him made the human actually step back a little. Baxter knew it, just like he'd always known – behind those hazel eyes lay a monster; a savage, terrible monster that, if given just the tiniest chance, would rip its opponents to pieces.

"I know that. I'm not stupid, Baxter." Ignoring the younger turtle's snickers, Donatello pulled off his lab coat, unceremoniously dumping it on the human as he tried to regain his self-control. "We're way ahead of schedule, so the project will be finished soon. Continue the research on the phenomena, and make sure the others finish their individual projects," the head scientist ordered, positively itching to get away from Stockman as soon as possible. "Come, little brother; we have practice."

The two of them walked away from the labs, leaving a gaping Stockman and several Foot soldiers wondering what had just transgressed …

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Do you think that was wise, oh big brother of mine?" Michelangelo asked as they waited for the elevator to reach the dojo level. The Purple Dragon leader had his arms crossed over his chest and was leaning against one of the walls with his foot propped up while his brother simply stood in front of the doorway.

"Trust me, Mike; keeping him occupied will deter him from my true motive. Father doesn't trust him with a ten foot pole." A soft laugh escaped Donatello's mouth and he shook his head. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the younger turtle bite his lip – something he was prone to do only when very worried. "Don't worry, Michelangelo. Father is watching his every move, as am I." He turned so he was leaning against the opposite wall, looking at his brother. "So what's going on? You don't go tossing guards and assistants aside unless you're pissed off."

Michelangelo's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the floor of the elevator, feeling his anger start to boil as he remembered the reason he had come to see Donatello, the events from the past night replaying in his mind. His fingers started to flex and he swung a fist back, hitting the wall of the elevator and making it shake a little as he gritted his teeth before calming down. "Father's going to kill me," he said softly.

Saki had made it clear to them long ago that he hated failure, and punished those who did. The punishment would be extreme and more often than not their parental figure would execute the offenders to make an example to others that it would not be tolerated. Donatello and Michelangelo had been nine and eight respectively when they had witnessed their first execution, and the memory of it still hung back in their minds.

The older turtle eyed his brother warily, concern dancing in his eyes. "What happened?" he asked softly, pure worry laced in his voice. They had never failed their father when it came to tasks that needed to be complete – now that Michelangelo claimed he had done so made his older brother come out of his shell, so to speak, as his protective nature kicked in.

Mike looked off to the side, towards the other end of the elevator. "It was all going as planned," he hissed, crossing his arms again so as to not make another hole in the elevator walls. "Everything was going smoothly, Don. The Black Diamond was almost in our hands…and then he showed up."

An incredulous look crossed Donatello's face as he placed a hand on his hip, the other hanging limply at the side. "Who, that moronic human running around in the hockey mask?" He let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. "You've taken on Casey Jones many times in the past, yet that idiot glutton comes back for more punishment. What made this time so different?"

"It wasn't Casey Jones. He was there, but he wasn't the one I fought." Michelangelo's expression became sour, unadulterated hatred burning in his gaze with bitter memories. "Raphael was with him, Don. That…that psycho was with him."

Donatello frowned, narrowing his eyes at the name. It had been too long…almost bang on eight years since they had last seen their older brothers. The child in him – the sad, lonely child within – often wondered what had become of them; if they missed them, if they… He shook his head, turning his attention back to his only brother. He wouldn't think of them, as he hadn't for the past eight years. Why give them a kind thought when they had never been kind at all?

Mike looked down at his leg; the one where under cloth laid the scar from his last encounter with the other turtle. It had been too deep a wound to properly leave him in peace and make him able to forget his other siblings. Seeing his brother earlier for the first time in years, Michelangelo had felt so many emotions running through his blood; happiness, longing, sadness, rage and finally hatred. He closed his eyes as he once again tried to control his emotions as his fingers once again flexed into fists.

Their brothers would pay for hurting them. Raphael in particular would be killed for what he had done…

"Don't worry little brother." Donatello's cold voice had a soothing effect somewhat, and the beast inside Michelangelo calmed down a little as he opened his eyes and met the other's gaze. "Leonardo and Raphael will pay for what they did. I, Oroku Donatello – your only brother, swear that to you." He smiled slightly, though that too was filled with hatred. "I haven't been training my mind and body for the past eight years for nothing. I knew that one day we would make contact with them again, and this time it will be me dishing out the pain."


	3. Chapter 3:Fun Times

**Torn Apart**

**Chapter 3: Fun Times**

**Written by Torture Sisters (aka LilNinjaWolf and Shellbell)**

Michelangelo and Donatello took the elevator to the private dojo where their father would be waiting for them. They were over an hour late no thanks to Baxter Stockman's useless ramblings. Donatello told the man that he would look over it later. They had more pressing matters to attend to, like train with their father before they get their shells kicked.

They rushed towards Saki Towers which they called home. They were late and they knew they were in some serious trouble. The man that they called father for the past eight years did not tolerate such lateness. To him it was the ultimate disrespect. And the man taught his children that to disrespect him was to dishonor him. Honor meant everything to this family

To be late Oroku, Saki as the man was called would push his children until they would collapse from exhaustion and their bones and bodies would ache. This was their punishment for tardiness and it was a lesson well learned as the trio was hardly late. With a few exceptions and Michelangelo would suffer because of it.

"He's going to kill us," Mikey murmured as the elevator seemed to take it's time going up. "He's going to kill us, dispose of our bodies, or feed them to the birds and use our shells as trophies."

"Okay, Mikey no more horror movies for you." Donatello replied. "Father would never do that to us. Maim us yes; murder us no. An unfortunate low class solider, maybe but never his favorite children."

Donnie took a deep breath. He too was anxious about being late. He hated to disappoint his father and being late meant disappointment.

"That bastard," Mikey growled. "Stupid; arrogant; obnoxious Stockman. He did that on purpose! He wanted us to get into trouble!"

"Don't worry lil bro, he'll pay," Donnie hissed. "I'll make damn well sure he'll pay."

They took a breath as the elevator made it to their destination. A ding was heard as the door open and revealed a huge training dojo, filled with many weapon racks, many display cases filled with ancient artifacts relating to the martial arts, a huge open floor to train and practice their fighting skills. It was perfect for them. Also revealed was Karai already training with their father.

"We're so screwed." Mikey whispered in horror.

"You can say that again" Donnie agreed with his horrified brother. How were they going to explain their tardiness to their father?

"We're so screwed."

"Mikey, that was a figure of speech" Donnie replied.

"It's true! Father is so pissed. Look at him. You know he's pissed. We can't be late for training, dinner…meetings. Look at him he's pissed. You know he's plotting our torture. You can see the wheels in his head spinning as he's thinking up difficult and impossible routines for us!"

"We are going to hurt that's for sure."

"How can you be so calm! You think we can sneak in and dad won't notice?" Mikey panicked.

"Because someone has to be the calm one in the bunch. Besides you have an overactive imagination so I know how you can get. And to answer your question; One, we're green. Two, there's only three he's teaching, Three we're green so of course he's going to notice our sneaking in. Four it never works."

"Man," Mikey whined. "It's bad enough that I've failed to obtain the Black Diamond. Now we're late. He's going to be beyond pissed."

"It'll be okay Mikey. It won't be as bad as we're thinking it's going to be." Donnie reassured his brother.

"Says the turtle that's not going to suffer as much."

"If you boys would like to join in our sessions instead of gossiping like girls we could actually get some training DONE!"

Both turtles jumped at the angry voice and slowly peaked up at their angry sensei standing there with his arms crossed and stoic face. His eyes gave away what he was truly feeling. Both gulped.

"Sensei we can explain…"

"I suggest you change quickly and don't dawdle like your lowly relatives. You both are in enough trouble as it is. Do NOT anger me any further. GO!"

Saki hissed dangerously towards his sons.

Before they were reprimanded any further Donatello and Michelangelo took off towards the changing rooms and disguarded their clothes and changed into their training gears without a word to each other. They knew they would suffer their father's wrath tonight.

They made towards the mat and knelt in their usual position with their heads down waiting for the instructions to begin.

"It seems we cannot be on time tonight. May I ask why?" The stern voice replied.

"Stockman" Donatello growled.

"You, as head scientist, could not contain your subordinates Donatello. I have taught you boys that you must instill fear into your opponents and subordinates. Otherwise they walk all over you. I am disappointed that you could not control Stockman."

"Yes Sensei." Donnie inwardly winced. When they were training, they were not supposed to show emotion. For showing emotions were weak in their sensei's eyes.

"Sensei," Mike pleaded. He didn't want to see his brother in trouble. He always had a hard time containing his emotions when it came to Donatello.

He took a big gulp when he felt his father's eyes come down on him.

"And your excuse Michelangelo. You were supposed to procure the Diamond for me. Why do you not have it?"

Michelangelo took a deep breath. "It was going as plan sensei until that knucklehead Casey Jones interfered. But this time the moron brought help."

"Help you say?"

"Yes. He brought Raphael."

"Hmmm so the Turtles have finally entered the picture. Interesting development indeed." Saki stated. "Still, it's no excuse for failure. You will stay after tonight's training session. It seems I still need to teach you more ruthlessness my son."

Mikey bowed his head. "Yes Sensei."

"I knew this day would come that you will face off with those brothers of yours."

"They're not our brothers" Donatello hissed. Mikey nodded in agreement.

Saki smiled. He had trained his sons well so he let the interruption go. "As I said we knew this day would come. Are you both prepared to face your nemesis?"

"We are father. The plan I had for them are set to go. The mousers are working 100 percent." Donnie grinned.

"And I gave Raphael a beating of his life. Not to mention the scare as well. Phase one is complete." Mikey stated.

"Phase One?" Donatello asked his brother.

"You think I'm going to let you have the entire fun brother dear, you're sadly mistaken" Mikey pointed out.

Saki's evil smile grew. He was very proud of his sons. "I want progress reports on how your plans are going my sons. If you both fail, then they would interfere with my plans. They must be stopped at all costs."

"Of course father. We will not fail you." both replied.

"Good. See that you do not fail. You know the consequences of your failure."

"Hai Sensei."

"Get up. Time to begin your training for this evening. And be prepared because tonight you're training for your lives."

With that said Saki took a leap towards his sons.

**XXXXXXXX**

Michelangelo hurried back to the laboratory where his brother Donnie seems to be cooped up after the brutal training their father gave them. He was sore and could barely move to the laboratory. So hurrying to the lab was more like walking very slowly so his tender oh so tender muscles and bones could get some rest. He wanted to see how his brother was fairing. To see if his brother was still alive after tonight's training.

He need to get his brother out of the lab and to do something fun or constructive as their father said. Meaning steal, lie, cheat, kill; all that fun stuff they were supposed to do. But that may have to wait so they could heal a bit. Or maybe Donnie has something that could take the pain away. That would be awesome in Mikey's book.

He missed doing things with his older brother. Ever since they became teenagers their lives changed dramatically. Donnie becoming head scientist in Saki Laboratories was a huge achievement for his genius of a brother. It allowed him to do whatever experiments and inventions he wanted. And that was always Donnie's Dream. To build, to invent, to cure, to create.

Mikey wished he was as smart as his brother. Then he would be by his side creating with his brother. He missed Donnie a lot. He felt lonely no matter what he did. Sure it felt great to the turtle to accomplish what his father set out for him. It felt great that he's becoming a warrior just like his father wanted. But all that meant nothing if his brother wasn't included.

He will get his brother out of the lab. This was his mission. Or at least letting Donnie relax awhile. He didn't trust Baxter Stockman. The man was too arrogant for his own damn good. His Father knew this. Yet his father allowed this man to live.

"_Patience my son. I will deal with Stockman in due time. Your brother is aware of Stockman's behavior and treachery. He will pay with is life." Saki told his young son._

_"Father, I do not question you or Donnie but that man is up to something. I can feel it. He brings no honor to you. He wants the glory all to himself. Not to mention the funds that you are providing. I know he's going to do something we're going to regret…Father please…"_

_"Hmmmm….I trust your instincts my son. I will watch him as I always do. Tell your brother to check the funds that I allotted and make sure nothing is unaccounted for."_

_"Yes Father," Michelangelo bowed after he and his father had a one on one training session._

Mikey sighed. One thing that set his father apart from the other father he once knew was that he trusted him. He trusted his instincts and believed in him. He was glad that they left. Now he was allowed to become the Turtle he always wanted to be. He will make his father proud and his brother; while destroying the other family that always held him back and teased him.

But first he head to get to Donnie's lab. He didn't want his brother to be left out of the fun that was going to begin at a certain farm house. He was giddy and excited at the same time. To see his dear big brother's reactions to the little surprise that he left for them. Time for the payback to begin.

**XXXXXX**

Donnie was busy researching a deadly virus that his father wanted to use. He wanted to see the side effects of what would happen if it came in contact with humans, mutants, and animals. He watched as the rat was screeching and doing odd things. Like the rat was becoming mad.

"Interesting..."

"Oooh Donnnieeeeeee!" a happy sing song voice filled his ears.

Donnie smiled. That was his little brother. His little brother. The one he swore to protect and cherish. He couldn't help but love Michelangelo to death. The kid was too easy going and too happy. Well you wouldn't think that if you saw him today but just in his presence Mikey was still Mikey.

"Donatello is busy and will not be disturbed!"

Donnie sighed. He hated that man Stockman. Nothing but a pompous, stupid, peon in Donnie's book That man is nothing but trouble and he will catch him in the act and enjoy his father dishing out the punishment on this man. Until then he must be patient.

"Dude you will respect me. You will kiss my ass every time I enter this laboratory. I have permission from the head scientist himself and the owner. If you have any complaints I'm sure they would like to hear them." Mikey grinned.

"You are so…"

"Finish that statement Stockman and I am forced to silent you completely. Trust me I will enjoy every bit of it as well" Donnie scolded the man.

"Yes….Donatello" Stockman growled. He will get his revenge on the boy in front of him. Oh yes he will. He just have to bide his time.

"Now Michelangelo, I know you like pissing Stockman off but please would you mind doing it when I'm not in at a critical part of this experiment."

"Sorry bro. So whatcha Doinnnn?" Mikey sang as he watched his brother.

"Really need to lay off Phineas and Ferb."

"That show rocks Donnie. Candice is annoying but hot. Phineas and Ferb are so mini you."

Donnie laughed. "If you say so bro. So whatcha want."

Mikey shut the door and locked it. He came and sat next to his brother. "Seriously bro you really need to relax and unwind. And a great time to do that is to watch a movie with me."

"I don't have time..."

"Yes you do. The experiment is going to take a while for completion. I know this and read your notes. All you're going to be doing is observing. You still can do that and watch TV to bro. It's called Multi-tasking."

"Smart Ass."

"You love me. And this video we're going to watch is all live bro. Live and fucking frightening to the soon to be visitors." Mikey grinned.

Donnie raised his eyebrow. "I'm interested already. I take it; it has something to do with our dear big brothers."

"You know me too well big brother." Mikey gave the most evil of grins.

"Well what are you waiting for? Turn it on. I'm in a mood for some torture, gore, and comedy."

"I thought you would never ask big bro," Mikey laughed as he used Donnie's computer and set everything up. Soon a picture of a farmhouse appeared.

"Popcorn and coke?" Donnie asked as he fetched the snacks for the evening.

"Need you ask?"

"Never." Donnie replied as he got the refreshments and headed back to the viewing room.

"Let the screams begin," Mikey laughed.

**XXXXXX**

Leonardo and Raphael were driving to the farm in hopes to get away from tonight events that had them rattled to the bone.

"He'll be okay won't he?" Raphael asked.

"He will be. Given time, he will be" Leo said softly. Since his younger brother's departure he had been given the task of medic and had to learn a lot in his short life. He wished he'd stepped up to the plate eight years ago and stopped Raph from hurting Mikey. But he didn't. He failed as a leader and a brother. But he won't fail. Never again.

"What are we going to do Leo?" Raph asked. He never felt so helpless in his entire life. Except the one time when their younger brothers ran away and they searched days, months, even years for them.

"We need to get Master Splinter some help and rest. The farmhouse should do the trick. Then we plan. We need to get our baby brothers back." Leo said with determination in his eyes.

"Damn" Raph cursed. "It's my entire fucking fault…"

"Raphael doesn't blame you for what happened in the past. What's done is done. Now we focus on the present and to help our brothers." Leonardo said as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed.

"I can't help it Leo! You didn't see Mikey's eyes man. It…..It was damn right frightening. I've never seen so much darkness in his eyes man…So much hate…He wasn't the same. He's not the same Leo. Not the goofball, loving, happy little brother." Raphael said as he clenched his fists. "I can hear his voice in my head. It was so evil Leo. So very evil..."

Leo kept his eyes on the road and shivered at Raph's description of his littlest brother. It unnerved him deeply to see two carefree souls shrouded in darkness. They had to get them back. They had to.

"Raph….Master Splinter told me something tonight. Something that he kept from us for five years."

Raph looked at his older brother. He could see Leo had his own demons haunting him. He could see how old his brother looked through the sad eyes. It broke Raphael's heart to his older brother looking broken. "What did ya find out bro?"

Leo took a deep breath. "Master Splinter was able to talk to them five years ago."

"WHAT! And you think we had a right to know!" Raph screamed.

Leo swerved as Raph screamed. "Hey, control that temper I'm driving. I'll finish if you let me!"

"Sorry."

"Anyway he contacted our brothers and what he found wasn't pleasant at all. In fact it was downright scary. He told me that Donatello isn't the same gentle turtle or Mikey the happy turtle. He said they were full of darkness. That they were being taken on a dark path. That Donatello denounced him as father. That he could sense Donatello was plotting something as his back was turned. Mikey wasn't any better. I'm at a loss here Raph. I don't know what to do." Leo said softly.

Raphael was silent, taking in what Leo told him. His brothers…no longer existed. They were gone…replaced with something darker and dangerous. He won't let them get to him again. He'll do anything he'll have to protect this family. "Leo…"

"I don't want to think we have to go that path Raphael" Leo told his brother. "I know what you're thinking but I don't want to go that path."

"What if we have no choice?"

"We'll come to that bridge when we cross it. For now we do anything we can to get our brothers back." Leo stated as he pulled up to the farmhouse.

"We're here." Raph stated as he jumped out of the car.

"Let's scope out the farmhouse first," Leo ordered. "I have a weird feeling running down my spine."

"It's Casey's farmhouse," Raph stated.

"I know but I still have a bad feeling. And with Casey and Master Splinter injured, I don't want to take a chance." Leo stated as he got out.

"Alright Fearless Leader but if your Spidy's sense is going off I'm going to have to hurt you," Raph grinned.

Leo laughed. "Good Ole Mikey and his comics."

"Yeah," Raph said softly.

Both nodded as they made their way to the farmhouse. Little did they know that Raph's foot triggered a device planted beneath some leaves that once stepped on activated Michelangelo's plan?

_*insert evil laughter* So what is going to happen to our heros? Will they parish in the next chapter? What is going on with Donnie and Mikey? Working for the Shredder? What the shell! What is Mikey's plan? Stay tuned Turtle Fans. You'll find out in the next installment of Torn Apart. Coming soon to a theater near you...*coughs* Sorry :) Oh please leave wonderful reviews. I need to know how everyone is loving or hating the story. Please please please...*_


	4. Chapter 4: Farmhouse Fun

**Hey everyone I'm back! Sorry for the long silence. I took a hiatus. I'm just getting back into writing after taken a year off. I apologize for the lack of communication. I hope everyone can forgive me. **

**LilNinjaWolf: Thank you for helping me write this. Sorry its been a long time. I went on an unexpected hiatus. Thank you again. This is written by the Torture Sisters thus each chapter will have a different author.**

**Torn Apart  
Chapter four  
Written by LilNinjaWolf**

Leo eyed the farmhouse as they approached the door. It just seemed to have an eerie appearance to him. But then again, where else was there to go? Master Splinter and Casey both needed to rest somewhere other than a moving vehicle. He shoved open the door, ignoring the creaking sound the hinges made, and stepped inside.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Raph asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary." Leo eyed the main room of the farmhouse. They really needed some light on in here. He reached to the left and searched for a light switch. Finding one, he flipped it, surprised when nothing happened.

"What's wrong with the lights?"

"I don't know Raph." Leo flipped it back and forth, getting the same result. "Alright, forget the light. You clear down here, I'll check upstairs."

"Gotcha," Raph agreed.

Leo turned toward the staircase and started upwards, his hand trailing up the banister.

Footsteps creaked behind him in rhythm to his own steps.

Leo froze halfway up and turned around. "Raph? Shouldn't you be searching the main floor?"

"What was that Leo?" Raph yelled.

"You're still down there?"

"Searching as you requested."

Leo frowned. He had thought Raph was walking right behind him.

"Hey, get down here and have a look at this," Raph called after a moment.

"What did you find?"

"Just get down here."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Leo retraced his steps back down the stairs and back to the front door. "Raph?"

"Right here."

Leo looked around in the darkness. His eyes adjusted more now, he was surprised to see his brother only a few steps away. He took the three steps over to him and stood by his side. "What's wrong?"

"That."

He raised an eyeridge, but looked at where Raph was pointing, seeing only a lump of a form.

"It's a doe…"

"In the house?" Leo asked incredulously.

"I guess so…"

He leaned forward to get a better look at it and quickly wished he hadn't. Blood dripped from a severed head, trailing down the doe's body. Worms, beetles, and maggots crisscrossed the open flesh wounds that gapped across the animal's stomach large enough that he could shove his whole arm through the slimy flesh. He recoiled back, nearly falling over if it hadn't been for Raph's quick catch.

"You ok," Raph asked quickly, concern filling his voice.

Leo shook his head in disgust and stood up straight. "It's headless and dripping blood like there's no tomorrow."

Raph let out a breath. "Don't make me jump like that, alright?"

"Scared?"

"No."

Leo sighed and let the disgust recoil off of him. "The poor thing… Did you see the maggots and other bugs crawling across and through it?"

"Yeah, creepy little buggers…" Raph shuddered. "Well since your down here… you check the kitchen and I'll finish in here?"

Leo shrugged. Worked for him. "We'll have to get that carcass out of here."

"And the bugs."

"And the bugs," Leo nodded, starting for the kitchen. He crossed the room and stopped at the doorway, trying the light switch and getting the same result as the main room. He sighed and just entered, suddenly getting a chill. He rubbed his arms. "Where is that draft coming from?" he murmured. He shook his head and started with the right side, looking for anything out of the ordinary. An intruder, an animal, something to tell him that this feeling of his was either true or false. Truthfully he wished for the latter, but he couldn't ignore the creepy feeling.

Nothing on the right side of the kitchen area except for the table. He turned to have a look out the window above the kitchen sink. The night sky looked so peaceful. So why the weirded out feeling? He shrugged and turned to search the left side of the kitchen. His feet froze in his spot at the image on the far wall.

A finger floating, beckoning him closer.

"Raph…" he whispered.

The finger continued its beckoning call.

"Raph…" he tried again, still no louder than a faint whisper. "If you're trying to scare me…" he crept closer to the finger, knowing full well there was no way Raph could be behind this.

The finger beckoned until he was inches from it. It hovered there and did nothing else.

He frowned. Just what was this?

The finger slowly pointed to the left.

Leo's eyes followed the pointed direction to take in a second finger hovering near the wall. Slowly another finger became visible with it, followed by three more as the skin became pale and sickly. The shape of a wrist followed until it folded into a fist as if to write something on the wall. Pointer finger facing the wall, it began to write.

"_Traitor." _

Leo swallowed hard. If he wasn't mistaken, the hand was writing in blood.

"Find anything Leo?" Raph called from the other room.

"Yeah… come get a look at this." Leo stared as the hand disappeared, the letters remaining. It seemed to take ages, but he finally heard footsteps come up behind him and stop next to him.

"What the…"

"It… was a floating hand appearing out of nowhere." Leo shook his head. That was just a bit too creepy for his liking.

"You're serious?" Raph walked forward, reaching out to touch the lettering on the wall. "Just looks like some kind of graffiti to me."

"Out here Raph? I saw what I saw."

"I'm not doubting you Leo."

"But there should be an explanation."

"Yeah…"

He sighed and shook his head. "Anything in the living room?" Leo joined his brother at the kitchen wall, touching the word as well. Why it would say traitor, he wasn't sure. Maybe some sort of hoax?

"Nothing but the headless doe carcass," Raph reported.

"We still have to get that out of here," Leo mumbled.

"If we stay here."

Leo nodded. "Let's make a quick sweep upstairs and then check on Splinter and Casey. I'm sure there's a reason for the words and carcass."

""Vandals," Raph muttered.

Leo turned away from the wall and led the way out of the kitchen, passing by the carcass. He couldn't help but notice the smell. Now that they had been in the farmhouse for awhile, he noticed the smell seemed to permeate the air. That would have to be fixed as well.

Back to the stairs, Leo again started up the steps. The eerie feeling of being followed was there once more, but this time he knew his brother was behind him. He made his way up the stair slowly, keeping his eyes peeled for more surprises.

"Leo? Are you bleeding…"

Leo stopped short just three steps from the top of the stairs. "No… why?" He turned to peer at Raph in the dark.

Raph swiped his hand across the wall and brought it in front of his brother. "More blood."

Leo frowned. Just what was going on here? "Whatever's up there… better be prepared for it."

Raph nodded, dropping his hand to the side. "Let's do this."

Leo started back up the stairs once more, bracing himself for what they might find up on the upper floor. He stood up still at the top of the stairs and slowly looked around.

"Leonardo…" a voice whispered. "Leonardo…"

"Raphael…" it continued to hiss.

Leo's eyes immediately searched the room, searching out the source of the voice.

"Anything?" Raph whispered faintly.

"no."

A gust of wind pushed through the open window, bringing along a cluster of leaves that swirled around in the center of the room until it revealed a glowing form. The form stood roughly over five and a half feet tall with dark hair that contrasted with the lightness of what should've been skin, but sagged off of the form like week old meat.

"Leonardo," the voice spoke. "You did not stop your brother!"

Leo blinked at the form. It had a strikingly familiar resemblance to someone he couldn't quite place. Thought what mattered most was that he couldn't quite form the words he wanted to form. His mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water.

"Raphael!" the voice snapped. "Out of a fit of rage you harmed your youngest brother for no reason." The last of the sentence was spewed out like the rotten flesh hanging from its frame.

Raph stood still by Leo's side, his own jaw locked in shock.

"Judgment has come upon you," the voice hissed, swirling around the room. A hand shot up slow and jerked towards them as if the bone inside was broken.

Leo had no time to register how the rough length of rope wrapped itself around him. He backpedaled off balance, falling backwards down the now slippery stairs with a scream. With no way to stop his fall, he tumbled down the slick s steps, landing in a heap at the bottom. He could only register the taste of foreign blood in his mouth before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Mikey dug his hand into the popcorn bowl only to find it empty. Though at the moment, he could care less. He couldn't stop laughing. The ghost he had rigged up was working flawlessly. Just another one of his tricks he had managed to sneak out of Stockman's hands. The guy had made one thing of use. He could regretfully give him that.

"Where did you come up with that?" Don demanded joyously between fits of laughter.

Leonardo's scream and the sound of him tumbling down the blood soaked stairs was just priceless to both of the brothers. It was just what they needed after the intense training Saki had put them through tonight.

"Did I tell ya or what?" Mikey laughed victoriously.

"You still have to get Raphael," Don spit out the name as if it were associated with a deadly poison.

Mikey's laughter stopped, but the smile remained. "Just you wait brother. All in good time." He turned his eyes back to the screen, watching as Raphael stared down the dark steps. He had gotten Leo but good. Now on to the second half. And who said torture wasn't entertaining? "Got any more popcorn?"

"That I do my brother."

Another bowl was handed over as both brothers leaned back in their seats awaiting the next part of the show.

Raph stared down the steps, not knowing how the hell Leo had just up and fallen down the stairs. He turned back around to keep an eye on the grotesque figure, but was surprised to see no one there. HE ripped the sai from his belt, wondering why he hadn't had them out and ready long before now in the first place. He ached to go see if Leo was alright. He couldn't leave another brother bleeding and in need of help. But he had to be sure whatever this thing was wasn't just going to up and do something like what it had just done to Leo again.

He crept forward, braced for the ghost to appear again. He jumped, feeling the board beneath his feet depress down slightly. The click in the air echoed, diverting his attention downward just enough for him to completely miss the thing that swung out to smack him straight in the face. He landed with a thump on his shell, swatting at the large slimy thing that had landed on him. Raph hesitated, but scowled and looked at the large object.

Eyes widening in horror, he gazed at the head of the doe from downstairs. Large white maggots hung from the eye sockets, one swinging upward to latch itself onto Raph's beak, inching to crawl straight up his nose.

Raph reared back with a scream, swatting at his beak, eyes glancing upward to take in the grotesque figure's appearance once more.

The skin hung off its frame worse than a few minutes ago if that was even possible. "The judgment is not over Raphael."

"Who are you?" he demanded, desperate to keep the fear out of his voice. There was no way he would let this guy or anyone else know of his fear, not when Leo needed him.

"Hamato Yoshi…" the voice whispered. "Your master's master," the figure mocked. Yoshi swirled around Raphael, his hand grazing the turtle's shoulder. "This is what happens when you've come back to earth after a fateful death… when you're needed by your family to avenge one hurt by their own brother," he hissed.

If Raph's eyes could've gone wider, they were in danger of popping out of his skull. He tried to backpedal, knowing this could not be true. If Yoshi could appear, it couldn't be in a form as grotesque as this. All the stories Splinter had told him and Leo showed Yoshi could be nothing like this at all.

Yoshi smirked. "It is time to join your brother. The pain is beginning." His hand darted out, shoving the turtle down the slick stairs.

Raph tumbled, throwing his arms out to slow his decent on the unforgiving hardness of the wooden stairs. The fall was both long and short, his life flashing before his eyes. His fun with all of his brothers, the fateful fight and slashing of his youngest brother, the loneliness afterwards, followed by the depressive hate.

The lumpy landing at the bottom of the stairs was a welcome relief, causing the flashback snippets to end. He groaned and lay there for a moment before seeing the haunted figure of Yoshi in his mind. He swallowed hard and rolled off the lump on the floor. He gazed down, horrified to find the lump to be his brother. He quickly got down on his knees next to him, shaking his unconscious brother as he pulled the tangled rope away. "Leo!" he hissed. "Wake up! We gotta get outta here. Gotta check on Master Splinter and Casey."

Leo groaned and rolled on his side. "Raph…"

He wasted no time and hoisted his brother to his feet, pulling an arm around his shoulder. He would not wait for Leo to fully regain consciousness. He had to get him out of the farmhouse, out of harm's way. He would not let Leo get hurt any worse. He barely had time to see the living room of the house before he made it out of the door and back to the van.

Panting, he let Leo rest against the side of the van. "Leo!" he hissed quietly. "Talk to me. Anything!" He couldn't afford for Leo to be unconscious anymore. If the ghost made it out of the house, he didn't know if he could defend the rest of his family against it.

"I'm ok…" Leo whispered weakly. "Are we… out of the house…?"

"Yes," Raph answered hurriedly. "Yes we are. Stay here. I've got to check on the others."

Leo nodded slowly. "Be quick."

"I will," Raph reassured him. He left his brother and rounded the van to open the door on the other side of the van. He was horrified to find it empty. He spun around to search his surroundings, finding staggered and bloody steps heading towards the barn.

"Are they alright?" Leo whispered, coming up by his side.

Raph shook his head. "They're not in the van. It looks like they went into the barn…"

"Maybe Casey woke up enough to drag sensei into the barn," Leo said hopefully.

Raph frowned, not thinking it was possible. "You ok to join me in checking or do you want to stay here?"

"I'm going," Leo said quickly and firmly, standing up as straight as he visibly could.

"Ok," Raph agreed. He stared at his brother, the both of them nodding before they squared their shoulders and slowly headed in together.


End file.
